Romancing the Weekends: Beyond Shame by Kit Rocha

PJV Quickie: Beyond Shame hits all the right buttons: This first book in a new series is gritty romance packed inside a deliciously smutty package and introduces characters I care about in a world I want to get back to.

Noelle Cunningham is a councilman’s daughter, and as such is expected to always act with decorum and aloofness. Her home, the city of Eden, is a very strict society, and casual human contact is frowned upon. But Noelle yearns to be touched, and after she is caught at an illegal ‘sex party’, she is thrown out of Eden and left outside the walls of the city to fend for herself in Sector 4. Sector 4 is a whole different world from Eden – gritty, non-tech, and, as Noelle soon learns, very sexual. Jasper McCray finds her on the outskirts of town shortly after she’s been banished and saves her from being violated by a sleazebag local. He takes her to Dallas O’Kane, who agrees to let her stay.

Dallas O’Kane, is the muscled, tattooed, mobster-type Alpha male who controls the production and sale of the liquor that Sector 4 is famous for. Dallas’ ‘special friend’ Lexie takes Noelle under her wing; she gives her a place to stay, gets her a job, and explains how their community works. After years of hearing that her sexual desire is ‘bad’, Noelle is overwhelmed by the undisguised sexuality on display in Sector 4.

Jasper is one of Dallas’ enforcers, he’s pretty no-nonsense and well-respected in the O’Kane ‘family’. He’s not looking to be tied down, and he enjoys his life of working for Dallas, cage-fighting, and going to the infamous O’Kane parties where anything goes: exhibition, multiple partners, and anything else you desire. But he can’t seem to stop thinking about sweet, innocent Noelle, and her powerful need to be touched and controlled.

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I loved Beyond Shame! There’s so much going on, and it’s all intriguing: Noelle’s self-discovery and Jasper’s surprising feelings for her, conflict between Dallas and Lexie, competition from other sectors for the bootlegging business, encounters with the inhabitants of Eden for political reasons and the O’Kane community in general all make for a fabulously sexy story that’s hard to put down. I love tattoos and Beyond Shame features plenty of ink for me to daydream about (and they’re not just for decoration). I also love the strong female friendships and the way the men respect the women and treat them with care. Kit Rocha manages to include a diverse cast of characters in the story and gives them each their own voice and personality, and I want to get to know them all better. I’m also fantasizing about getting my own O’Kane ink 😉

There were a few things I didn’t quite understand as far as worldbuilding, and the ending was kind of abrupt – I wanted to see the implied HEA, but I think (hope) we will eventually see this as the series progresses. Also, Noelle’s “I’m a bad girl” got a bit old as the story went on and she tried new things, BUT, I can see how it would take her some time to deal with those ‘bad’ feelings that she had been ingrained with for so many years.

Beyond Shame ends in a good spot, but it’s not so neatly wrapped up that there aren’t many plot points left open for future books, and I am dying to get my hands on the next installment, Beyond Control.

Recommendations

I think Beyond Shame will appeal to a wide audience: if you like sexy reads with strong alpha males, dystopian storylines, and strong female characters, then you will probably enjoy Beyond Shame.